“How did it feel?” Linc asked as he ran his hands over my shoulders.
“It was uh… Well… It just felt normal? Isn't that strange?”
Linc laughed. “That's your normal, now.”
I took his hand and squeezed it. “I really like my normal now.”
I was just about to lead Linc to our bedroom and show him what could be done in bed without breaking the doctor’s orders, when Linc’s phone rang. He stepped out of the nursery to answer the call, and I heard him talking to Jaxon. I wondered what he could be calling Linc for, and assumed it was to see if we got home safely from the hospital. When I heard Linc raise his voice, however, I realized the call was about something else.
I followed after Linc, closing the nursery door softly behind me. The baby monitor was turned on, and there were several receivers around the house, including our bedroom, but as I saw Linc, his jaw tight and his lips set into a thin line, I didn’t think we’d be heading there just yet.
“What is it?” I asked when Linc hung up his phone.
“Jaxon just got a call from Steve Daniels, one of the pack who is a police detective. Some dragons have been spotted in the town causing trouble, and Jaxon wanted to know if I was willing to go out with them and see what’s going on.”
“Dragons? Did you just say, dragons?” I barely managed to keep my voice low so as not to disturb Sam, but LuLu whined as she identified the note of shock in my voice. What the fuck?
“Oh, yeah, right, I haven’t told you about them have I? Well, sweetheart, wolves aren’t the only shifters in town.”
Get ready for Timberwood Cove book 3, Secret Daddy!
Available Soon!
Chapter 1 Preview – Secret Daddy
Gavin
An old man in the mirror looked back at me with scorn. The crinkles beside my eyes said: “Your playboy days are limited, buddy!” The deep furrow of my forehead cried out: “Happy birthday! Make the most of it while you can, it’s all downhill from here!” A patch of grey hairs near my temple demanded: “Sure, get laid as much as you can now because that supply is going to dry up faster than you’d believe. You know it’s time to find a mate and settle the hell down.”
I grumbled and took a step back, taking in the whole package as I slicked my hair back. My reflection wasn’t bad. I still had the broad shoulders from my high school linebacker days. Sure, I had a bit of a belly from too many nights programming and playing video games when I should have been at the gym instead. But I still looked good in a suit. If only I could get the damn tie on straight...
“Damn, Gav. You are looking sharp,” my sister Nicole cooed as she burst into the bedroom behind me.
I glanced at her in the mirror and raised my eyebrows in skepticism before I turned my attention back to the tie.
“Did you see this?” she asked, holding up an envelope.
“Hm?” I grunted, struggling to tighten the knot.
“You need help with that?” Nicole put down the mail and came up behind me. She peered around my broad shoulders and stretched up on her tippy-toes to reach around my neck and straighten the tie. She let out a grumble, then quickly undid the knot and slipped it off my neck. I let out a frustrated sigh as she rethreaded it through my collar, aligned the ends, and started to redo the knot.
“Thirty-three years old today, and he still hasn’t learned how to do a perfect Windsor knot,” she scolded me as a cheeky grin spread across her face. She clucked her tongue then instructed me patronizingly, “Big over little, take him through the hole, then loop-de-loop…”
I slapped her hands off and growled, “Thanks so much, sis. I’ve been doing my own tie for decades, I’ll have you know.”
“Oh, sure,” she smirked and smoothed her hands over the shoulders of my suit jacket.
“It’s not just second nature, yet,” I mumbled.
“Maybe because you didn’t do it as a kid, huh?” she asked as she sat down heavily on the bed. “Remember that skatewear you used to be into? All oversized and baggy and shit. Definitely no ties.”
“I would have dressed better, if I’d had anyone to teach me how to do techniques like tie a tie,” I grumbled.
“What? Daddy didn’t teach you?” she looked up at me with her eyebrows raised.
“Did you ever see him wearing a tie? You ever see him in anything other than golf shirts and cargos?” I asked, then hissed as the collar bunched up too tightly and I had to start over again. “He said dressing smartly was alpha stuff. You know. Like, uh, everything else I needed help with.”
I glanced at her in the mirror, but quickly looked away when I saw the pity on her face. That was not what I wanted to see on my birthday.
“He did his best as a single omega dad, Gav,” she said in a quiet voice.
A growl grumbled up from my stomach. Nic was younger than me and I figured that’s why she saw our childhood in a kinder light than I had. I looked back at her and found her eyes on the envelope in her hand. She ripped it open.
“Hey, is that for me?” I asked her as I glanced over my shoulder and reached for a different tie from my nightstand.
“Yeah yeah,” she waved me off, like privacy wasn’t important.
I held up the silk ties to my face.
“Gav, you should totally go to this!” she suddenly exclaimed.
“To what?” I asked absently as I compared the navy and the persian blues, comparing the colors to see which one would make my eyes pop more.
Nicole started bouncing on the bed like an excited cub. “There’s a gaming convention coming up in Timberwood Cove! Can you believe it? This shitty little town is having its own convention! They want you to do a Q&A or a signing table for your game. You have to go!”
I went with the persian and threaded it through my collar. Maybe the silkier material would make it easier to tie.
“They’re inviting you to do a meet and greet with fans of your game,” Nicole prattled on. “This is so cool, Gav! Are you going to go?”
“I don’t think so,” I said frankly, struggling with the loop-de-loop move.
“What?!” she exclaimed as she slapped my ass with the envelope. “Why not?!”
“I hate those things,” I said. “Had to do a bunch of them when RuneMaze was first released, and it was hell. A bunch of weirdos and nerds.”
“Uh, says the nerdy weirdo game developer,” she slapped my ass again. “Oh I wonder if Cole would want to go.”
“Take him and leave me out of it,” I insisted, tightening up the persian blue tie.
“God, you’re such a party pooper,” she grumbled as she stood up, leaving the invitation crumpled on the bed.
“You look good,” she said softly as she stood behind me and looked me over in the mirror.
“I look like what I remember Dad looking like,” I sighed. “Old.”
Nicole choked on her laugh and then smiled sadly at me. “At least you remember what he looked like.”
“Hm,” I nodded, but I felt my guts cramping up. It was a lie. I couldn’t remember what our alpha father had really looked like. He’d died in a fire before I was old enough to make real memories. The patched-together idea of him in my mind was based on photos I’d found hidden in the attic, stowed away by our omega daddy in an effort to erase all evidence of our father from the house. All I had of Dad was these vague ideas of who he was - old, in a suit, a blurry memory of how it felt to hear his voice, and what it was like to feel his hand in mine. Other than that, the rest was stitched together into some kind of fictional hologram.
“Okay!” Nicole said, drumming her palms on my shoulders and bringing me back to reality. “I’m not here to reminisce with you, I’m here to get you to the party on time. Can we just lose the tie? It’s still crooked.”
“You think I’d look okay without it?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Yes, honey. You look good in anything. C’mon, let’s find you a birthday date.”
We walked through the brisk October night to the Wolf Lodge wh
ere my party was being held by our closest pack mates. Nicole kept up with my fast pace, even though I could hear her breathlessness as she prattled on, “I just think you should go to the gaming convention. Cole would love it if you went.”
“I’m definitely not going,” I told her, again.
“You might meet someone there,” she teased in a sing-song voice as we passed through a small thicket of trees. A twig snapped under my foot and I felt an ache in my chest. My wolf pricked its ears up and sniffed, searching for a mate, just like it did any time I was reminded that I still hadn’t found someone to shack up with.
“Yes, I’m sure I’ll meet someone,” I grumbled. “A weirdo nerd…. Or another one night stand.”
“Woah, hang on, do I detect a hint of exhaustion in your voice?” she laughed. “You’re finally tired of casual sex? Done with being the most notorious lothario of Timberwood Cove? Or have you just run out of eligible bachelors in our little town?”
“God, you’re so annoying!” I growled, shoving her playfully as we stumbled through the trees and onto the grounds of the Wolf Lodge. The lodge itself was lit up with party lights and music was blasting out of the doors.
“C’mon, we’re obviously late!” she hissed, grabbed my hand and dragged me forward.
As soon as we stepped into the crowded Lodge, I spotted Linc - Nicole’s alpha ex and the father of her nine year old son, Cole - standing by the dessert table. Cole was rifling through candy jars and filled up a paper bag with chewy candies when his dad nudged him and pointed to us. Cole spun around and waved happily at us.
“Do not say anything to him about the convention,” I warned Nic.
“Alright, alright!” she said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’ll wait until you’ve decided to go.”
I shot her daggers before Cole rushed over and threw his arms around my waist. “Hey Uncle Gavin! Happy birthday!”
“Hey, kiddo!” I laughed, and hoisted him up into a fireman’s carry. He squealed and kicked, then started feeding me candy as we walked over to Linc.
“Hey, man,” he laughed, giving me an awkward hug around Cole’s body. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks bro,” I said through a mouthful of chewy candy, which set Cole off into a fit of giggles. I hauled him down and set him back on his feet.
“How’re Lori and Shawn?” I asked about Linc’s newborn girl, and his mate.
“Both of them are good, just way too tired for the party,” he beamed, then took Nicole in a deep hug. She closed her eyes and squeezed him tightly. My heart fluttered, and I was truly happy for both of them, but I had to admit that it also hurt -- it was like there was a stone grinding inside my chest whenever I saw how well Linc and Nicole got along. They hadn’t skipped a beat after their relationship had ended shortly after Cole was born - they went right from being lovers to being best friends.
And now Linc had a new omega, Shawn - and the two of them were fated mates! How the hell did Linc do it? Attracting potential mates wasn’t a problem for me, I could admit - but how did Linc settle down so easily? First with Nic and Cole, and now his family was even bigger with Shawn and Lori. He made commitment and fatherhood look effortless. It ate me up inside.
I watched the two of them - Linc and Cole - all night. I couldn’t shake it. It usually didn’t affect me so much, but there was something about turning thirty-three that had triggered something inside me. Maybe it really was time to settle for whoever came next...
I socialized with the pack, downed glass after glass of whiskey, got on stage and sang Bruce Springsteen karaoke with Nic, and got into a playful tussle with our pack leader, Jaxon. By the end of the night, Cole was running around wild with his best friend Liam and their other shifter buddies. I watched as Linc called him over and he obediently came running into a hug, before the two of them started to play a hand clapping game, co-ordinating their hands perfectly.
“How does he do that?” I asked Nic, my words slurring a little at the end.
“What? The hand clapping game? It looks more complicated than it is, I can teach you,” she laughed and downed the last of her gin and tonic.
“No, not the stupid game. The fatherhood stuff,” I explained, leaning against her and watching as Linc and Cole took off and raced towards the Lodge kitchen.
“He wasn’t always so good at it,” Nic reminded me with a nudge. “But I guess he’s a natural.”
“He had a good dad to show him how to do it, right?” I mumbled.
“This is really eating you tonight, huh?” Nic said, looking me over.
“Yeah I guess,” I grumbled. “Whatever. Who cares? Family isn’t for everyone.”
“You wish I’d invited Daddy?” she squinted at me.
“Hell no!” I exclaimed. “You think he’d even realize it was my birthday?”
“Good point,” she laughed, “Remember when he forgot Christmas?”
“Who could forget,” I said, downing the last of my drink. Our omega dad had shut down after our alpha father had died, and Daddy had become an absent and distant parent - to say the least. I was about to slip into a stupor of self-pity about it when the lights suddenly went out. My wolf kicked up in my chest and boozily glanced around, ears pricked, looking for the danger. My breath stopped.
“What the fuck?” I whispered.
I heard a thud. Light streamed out from the open kitchen door, followed by a roaring blaze. I gasped and almost rushed to get the fuck out of there when I realized what it actually was — not a raging inferno after all, but the thirty-three candles on my birthday cake.
Linc carried the cake while Cole and his friends burst into a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday. I felt Jaxon’s hand on my shoulder and looked up to find him beaming down at me, singing along softly. His father, our old pack leader, Greer, sang in a deep baritone and gave me a beaming smile as the cake came to be placed on the table in front of me.
“Woah!” I forced a laugh as I took in the grandeur of all of those candles. “This fire’s so fierce that it’s going to singe off my eyebrows!”
“Make a wish! Make a wish!” Cole said, bouncing on his feet. Everyone was lit by the orange glow.
Jaxon gave me a wink and said under his breath, “Wish for someone handsome for the night…”
Nicole grinned at me and I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and made a drunken wish for what I never wanted to admit that I truly, really wanted.
The candles were out. The room was dark. I heard the cheering and a round of “Hip Hip Hooray”, but it all sounded muted and muffled. I could only hear my own breath, in and out of my lungs. I felt like I’d justs cast a spell on myself. Or maybe I’d just had one too many whiskeys…
Suddenly, Jaxon’s grip on my shoulder tightened. I tensed up. My breath stopped. And I jumped out of my seat as the pack leader let out a soul-shaking howl.
The lights came back on and the pack was shifting into their wolf forms all around me. Jaxon himself let go of my shoulder and transformed into his big, buff wolf. I looked from the cake to Nicole and back again. She let out a shrill laugh and put a hand on my shoulder.
“We’ll eat it after the run. Let’s work up an appetite.”
Cole was jumping around in his young wolf form, prancing back and forth in front of his friend. The doors were thrown open and the pack started to pour out of the Lodge into the yard, sprinting across the lawn and into the woods.
I followed. As soon as I shifted into my wolf, my senses were sharper and much less affected by the alcohol I’d guzzled down. My footing was still a little clumsy, but I barely noticed as I bounded across the yard. The cool ground felt soothing under my paw pads, and I stopped at the edge of the woods to scratch at a tree, loving the feeling of my claws ripping through bark.
I was sniffing at the marking I’d made when I felt a nip at my flank. I spun around and found a handsome, young omega wolf with a sharp snout and long legs bouncing backwards. He tilted his head to the side and blinked with long, thick lashes as hi
s jaws opened and his tongue flopped out, panting with excitement. I sized him up while he dashed back and forwards, urging me to play. He landed another nip and I felt my attraction starting to grow. He was very cute. Though it was hard to tell age of shifters in our wolf forms, I guessed he couldn’t have been over twenty-five. He sure had plenty of energy...
He was absolutely my type, and being in my wolf meant that I was working on pure instinct. I let it lead me to nip back, landing a sharp tooth against his neck the next time he lunged for my flank. He let out a playful yelp, then bounded off down the path before pausing and looking back over his shoulder at me. I sniffed at the air, caught a hint of a fresh cotton scent, and then bounded after him. I liked him. I liked how he smelled.
He took off like a shot, but I pushed hard into my muscles and soon caught up. We ran together under the full moon, and with every synchronized lunge over fallen logs and dense clumps of brambles, I felt more attracted to him. I caught the scent of him as he ran ahead, and I inhaled it as deeply as I could.
We broke through the dense forest into a moonlit clearing. The younger wolf stopped to lap at a pool of water and I looked up at the glittering moon overhead. It wasn’t the first time I’d run with a stranger like that. But it was the first time that I felt like my heart just wasn’t in it. I heard the creaking of bones and looked over to find him shifted into his human form - a lanky, gorgeous young man with a shock of red hair on top of his head, perfect cheekbones, and gorgeous hands. I’d seen him around the Lodge before, but had never met him in person.
I’d been through this dance with so many men, so many times before. On cue, he was unbuttoning his shirt and revealing his washboard abs. I was meant to shift into my human form, walk towards him, take his hands in mine and plant a hot kiss on his mouth. Or else I’d dodge his attempts at a kiss and direct his mouth down, down, further down still until he was kissing my cock. Either way - it felt as rehearsed and as dull as I could imagine. Maybe turning thirty-three had really done a number on my libido. Maybe I was just ready for a new dance with different steps.
Surprised Daddy Page 20
